Facing Your Dragons
by lilyvandersteen
Summary: After a fight with Dave Karofsky, Blaine is punished with a week's suspension and forty hours of community service. At the home where he volunteers, he meets Kurt. Badboy Blaine and Skank Kurt AU.
1. Chapter 1: New Guy

Author's Note: This story is written for lizzard713, as part of the 2018 Klaine fic exchange. I combined two prompts for this fic. The giftee wished for a Badboy Blaine / Skank Kurt fic, and also wanted a dragon as a key part of the story, so I've tried to include all those elements. Enjoy!

My heartfelt thanks to the lovely hkvoyage for betaing this story for me 3

Chapter 1: New Guy

Principal Figgins folded his hands under his chin and nodded. "Yes, yes, Anderson, I understand, you felt threatened. But David's father has been most generous to the school, and now he says he'll take away all his financial support if you're not punished for pummelling his kid into hospital. And I need that money! Our school needs it! My hands are tied!"

The principal flopped his hands about for emphasis, and then leaned in and continued in a lower voice. "Mr Karofsky wanted you expelled at first. I managed to make him agree to a week's suspension plus forty hours of community service. You see, he runs a home for children with disabilities, and he's always looking for volunteers to read to the children or sing or play or craft with them. That will be a much better outlet for your frustration than violence, young man!"

Blaine rolled his eyes, winced when that made his black eye hurt like mad, and sagged even deeper into his chair.

"They're expecting you at the home this afternoon at three o'clock. This is the address."

Principal Figgins held out a leaflet, and Blaine took it, crumpled it and threw it straight into the bin.

"Anderson, it's either that or expulsion. I suggest you choose wisely."

Blaine swore under his breath. His father would have his head if he got expelled again after just two days.

"415, Monroe Avenue."

"Yeah, yeah," Blaine grumbled. "I know the place. Gives me the creeps."

Principal Figgins smiled. "I'm sure getting to know the children better will change your perception."

Blaine scoffed.

"Three o'clock, Anderson. Be there, or you'll be expelled."

Blaine wanted to roll his eyes again, but thought better of it. He was in enough pain already. Instead, he grabbed his bag, got up and strode out of the principal's office without another word.

That afternoon, he arrived at the home a quarter of an hour early, and just sat on his motorcycle staring at the building. It looked nice enough. Beautiful even. All white, lots of windows, lots of flowers and neatly clipped shrubs in the garden.

But it housed kids like that one girl at McKinley who'd pinched his butt yesterday. She'd told him her name was Becky, and declared that she wanted to kiss him. One second later, she'd planted a big wet one on him. Blaine, grossed out, had run away from her, and she'd chased him, screaming at him and hitting him everywhere she could reach. He'd escaped by slipping into an unoccupied classroom and barricading the door, but he wasn't keen on ever seeing her again, or anyone like her.

He shuddered at the recollection of that slobbery kiss, and the complete lack of respect for his boundaries. Was that how women felt any time men harassed them on the street? How did they deal with that on a daily basis?

No, he really didn't want to go to that place and experience anything like that again. But it was nearly three o'clock, and he didn't want to be expelled, so he got off his bike and walked to the entrance. Another guy overtook him just before he reached the automatic doors.

Blaine got a glimpse of pink-streaked hair, a stud in one ear and a neck tattoo, but as soon as his eyes travelled lower, they stayed glued there. Wow! And Blaine thought _he_ was wearing tight jeans! Apparently, some people painted theirs on in the morning, so they could showcase their endless legs.

"Hey, Kurt!" the receptionist greeted the other guy. "They're waiting for you in the snoozle room. And you'll have help today. There's a new volunteer starting… Oh, yes, there he is now!"

She smiled at Blaine, and Kurt turned around and appraised him. And oh, wow, his eyes were gorgeous. Blue and green and grey all in one, and so compelling that they struck Blaine dumb.

"Can you sing?" Kurt asked.

Blaine nodded.

"Play an instrument?"

Another nod.

"All right, then, I'll take him off your hands, Dolores," Kurt said. "Come along, New Guy. What's your name, anyway?"

Blaine just blinked at him, struggling to get his tongue to work again, and Dolores came to the rescue. "This is Blaine Anderson. Goes to your school, Kurt, haven't you seen him around?"

That garnered Blaine another piercing look, and Kurt shook his head. "Never."

"I'm… new," Blaine said. "Transfer student."

Kurt pretended to be shocked. "Oh, he talks!"

Dolores laughed. "Be nice, Kurt."

"What's that saying? Nice girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere."

Dolores snorted. "Ha! You're not a girl, and you're not bad either. If you were, you wouldn't come here twice a week to sing and tell stories and make everyone fall in love with you. Admit it, Kurt, you're not a badass, you only want to look like one. Can't fathom why."

Kurt stared her down. "Can't you? Never got bullied in high school, I guess. Well, good for you, but not everyone is that lucky. Come along, New Guy… Oh right, what was it again?"

"Blaine," Dolores repeated.

"This way, Blaine!"

Blaine followed Kurt to a large room where the only light was provided by lava lamps and strings of fairy lights. About a dozen children of various ages sat on the floor, which was carpeted wall to wall with a thick soft material Blaine sank down in to his ankles.

"Best take your shoes off," Kurt told him, unlacing his own Doc Martens already.

Blaine took his socks off, too. He really wanted to sink his toes into that carpet.

When he set his feet on the memory foam and they were instantly cushioned in glorious softness, Blaine let out a blissful sigh.

A little girl next to him giggled, wriggling her own toes. "First time in the snoozle room?"

Blaine nodded. "Yeah. That obvious?"

"Just a little. You sound like a grown-up. Are you?"

"I'm sixteen," Blaine answered. "I'll be seventeen in two months."

"You're here to help Kurt, then?" the girl asked.

"I guess."

"What do you look like?" she wanted to know next.

"Can't you…?"

"See? No, I'm blind. My name's Ruth, by the way. And I'm six, nearly seven. That makes you ten years older than me."

At that point, Kurt cleared his throat, and Ruth put a finger on her lips. "Shh, it's starting!"

Kurt introduced himself and Blaine, and told everyone that they were going to make some music first, and then he would tell them a story. He opened a cupboard and distributed the musical instruments that were in it – xylophones, maracas, triangles and bongo drums. The last items he got out were a keyboard and an acoustic guitar.

"I can play the keyboard a little," Kurt told Blaine, "but if you can do it properly, be my guest. And I can't play the guitar at all, so that one's all yours, too."

Kurt started off the sing-a-long with a series of nursery rhymes, and Blaine accompanied him on the guitar, after having tuned it.

Some of the children sang along lustily, playing their instrument. One boy just stared blankly into space, rocking back and forth and only contributing a phrase here or there in a monotone voice. And one girl seemed so hyped up that she flapped her hands about and shook her head wildly, all the while beaming ear to ear. It seemed all the same to Kurt, who grinned happily at everyone joining in.

After singing for quite a while, Kurt announced that it was story time. "What do you want me to tell a story about today?"

"Dragons," said the boy with the monotone voice.

That gained enthusiastic support from the others.

"Dragons it is," Kurt laughed. "All right…"

 _"_ _Once upon a time, in a faraway country, there was a boy called Thomas. He wasn't tall, he wasn't strong, and he was a bit odd, so at school, no-one wanted to play with him. And they all made fun of him._

 _But Thomas had a head full of dreams and friends he made up himself, so he was never really lonely. He was always wandering about in the woods close to where he lived, discovering interesting stones and butterflies and good trees to climb._

 _One day, his city was in an uproar because a dragon had come and was sitting on the belfry tower, growling and breathing fire any time someone came near._

 _Every knight in the kingdom tried to defeat the dragon, but one by one, they were killed. The dragon was vicious, and did not seem to have any weak spots._

 _Each day, Thomas' dad came home from work and shared the latest news. Thomas listened to the stories with bated breath, until he grew so curious that he wanted to see the dragon for himself._

 _He went to the city centre and stared at the dragon. He noticed that she looked scared rather than angry, so he climbed the stairs of the belfry until he was at the top._

 _Then he waved at her, and said, "Want me to help you down?"_

 _The dragon blinked at him._

 _"_ _You've got vertigo, don't you?" Thomas asked. "My mother has that, too. She was scared stiff when we visited the belfry."_

 _The dragon shivered and nodded._

 _"_ _You can do this," Thomas encouraged her. "I'll steer you to a meadow not far from here. There are woods all around it, with all sorts of animals you can eat, and caves you can sleep in."_

 _The dragon blinked again, and then said, "That sounds nice. I'm hungry."_

 _"_ _Okay, I'm going to sit on your neck so I can bring you to the right place. Deep breaths. You can do this."_

 _The dragon took a deep breath. It came out as fire, of course, and the people on the square below screamed._

 _Thomas saw that this made the dragon nervous. "Don't listen to them. Focus on me. Just me. I'm here. I'll help you. Now fly away, go on. Fly!"_

 _The dragon spread her wings and flew away from the tower._

 _"_ _Well done," Thomas encouraged her, "I'm so proud of you! A little to the left, please."_

 _A few minutes later, they arrived at the meadow, and Thomas jumped off the dragon._

 _"_ _Thank you," she said softly. "I know it's silly for a dragon to have a fear of heights, but I do. I hardly ever fly because of that, but I was chased away from my lair and had to find a new one. Thank you for helping me away from that tower. The only thing to eat there was doves, and I don't care much for them."_

 _Thomas smiled. "You're very welcome. Want me to show you the biggest cave here? It's got running water and everything."_

 _The dragon tucked in her wings and followed him, eating a few field mice and squirrels along the way._

 _She loved the cave, and thanked Thomas again. "I think I'll make my lair here. It's perfect."_

 _"_ _And if you get bored, this is my rock and shell collection," Thomas said. "I've got a bit of everything, and it's all labelled."_

 _"_ _This is your treasure?" the dragon asked._

 _Thomas grinned. "Yes."_

 _"_ _I will guard it with my life, Human."_

 _"_ _Thomas. My name is Thomas."_

 _"_ _I am_ _Dalinda._ "

 _When Thomas got back home that evening, he found tons of people in front of his house. They clapped him on the back and congratulated him and wanted to know how he'd managed to drive away the dragon._

 _Thomas looked at his mother with a plea in his eyes, and she made them all leave, claiming that Thomas was tired and hungry and too young to be harassed by strangers. "Leave him alone! The dragon's gone and that's all that matters!"_

 _And so the story died down, thanks to Thomas' mother. And Thomas had found in Dalinda a true friend. Together, they explored the countryside, and when Thomas came of age, he and Dalinda chose to travel around the world, with Thomas selling curios or doing handyman work to make a living._

 _Dalinda introduced them to her relatives across the world, who were fascinated by this fearless young man who hung out with dragons as if they were family._

 _And Thomas had the time of his life, teaming up with Dalinda to fight a greedy giant and later on a child-stealing witch, but those… are stories for another day._

 _The end._ "

There was a chorus of protest, but Kurt just laughed. "Time's up, people. I'll be back on Saturday, and I can tell you another story then."

Kurt got up from the floor, and some of the children rushed at him to hug him and clamour for another story, please, or at least another song, pretty please, but though he hugged them back, he would not be swayed. He instructed everyone to put the musical instruments back into the cupboard, and when that was done, he waved and said, "Bye-bye, see you guys on Saturday!"

Blaine followed him out, surprised at how much he'd enjoyed himself. "That story was amazing. Did you make that up off the cuff?"

Kurt flashed him a grin. "Yep. That's kind of my thing."

Then he added, "It's easier to daydream and make up stories than to live in reality, most days."

Blaine bit his lip. "True, that."

"So can I ask why you look half like a raccoon at the moment?" Kurt asked. "That's an impressive shiner."

Blaine shrugged. "You should see the other guy. He's in hospital."

"Karofsky?! You're the one who put him in hospital?"

Kurt sounded shrill, and Blaine shot him a quick look, before confirming, "Yep, that's me. Are you upset? Is he… your boyfriend or something?"

Kurt snorted. "Oh please! He's so far in the closet he can see Cair Paravel! No, I'm not upset. He's a stupid bully, and I'm glad someone finally gave him what for."

Blaine shrugged. "I just defended myself. I guess he's not used to people standing up for themselves. Got me into trouble, though. Which is why I'm here."

"Community service?" Kurt guessed.

Blaine pulled a face. "Right in one!"

"That's how I started here too," Kurt admitted. "I took it out on Karofsky's car, though. Messed with it a bit each day to give him car trouble. One day, somebody saw and snitched on me."

"And they sent you to this place?" Blaine surmised.

"Yep. And I liked it, so I kept coming. It's nice. I'm an oddball at school, but here, I fit right in. The kids think my hair, studs and tats are cool. They like my voice. They like my stories."

"Me too," Blaine admitted.

That garnered him a bright smile and a wink. "Well, see you on Saturday maybe, New Guy?"

"It's Blaine!" Blaine answered, but Kurt had legged it out the door before Blaine even got the first word out.

Blaine followed him out, but was halted by Dolores asking him, "So how did it go?"

"Uhm, all right, I guess?"

"You're scheduled again tomorrow, same time. You'll be working with Rachel. She only does singing."

Blaine didn't know what to say to that, unless, "And Saturday?"

Dolores giggled. "Smitten already, huh? Yes, you can come on Saturday too."


	2. Chapter 2: Tell Us A Story

Author's Note:

Thank you so much for your feedback on Chapter 1! I'm so glad this story spoke to you. Here's Chapter 2, guest-starring Rachel Berry :-) Enjoy!

A big thank you to my friend hkvoyage/VoyageAsia for looking this over for me. I'm so lucky to have you as my beta 3

I enjoyed writing this fic, and if you're interested, I could definitely write more in this verse. Let me know, okay? It will have to wait until after Puppy Eyes is finished, though.

Chapter 2: Tell Us A Story

Rachel proved to be a pretty brunette with a great singing voice and a very bossy attitude. Blaine did as she said, and enjoyed singing with her, but secretly, he much preferred Kurt.

Again, the boy with the monotone voice asked for dragons when Rachel called for requests, so they sang _Puff the Magic Dragon_ , and then it was time to wrap up the lesson. You couldn't really call it an hour of entertainment, for Rachel had been drilling all the children until they were word perfect and sang in key.

When they left the snoozle room, Rachel told Blaine that his guitar playing was satisfactory but his singing voice could use some work. "Especially your falsetto. It sounds pitchy. I could e-mail you some voice exercises and breathing tips if you like?"

Blaine bit back a smile and gave Rachel his e-mail address. She was quite a character.

When they passed the reception desk, Dolores once again asked how it had gone.

Rachel flashed her a brilliant smile, said that the children were definitely improving, and swanned out of the building with a, "See you next Thursday!"

Dolores shook her head. "Someone should probably tell that one her charges are supposed to have fun. She treats them like new recruits at a military academy."

Blaine nodded.

"You ready for tomorrow?" Dolores asked him.

"Sure. Who am I working with?"

"Nobody. You've seen how it's done now. Tomorrow, you're on your own."

Blaine swallowed with difficulty. He'd be alone? He'd have to keep all those children happy and entertained by himself?

Nerves slammed through him, and he wanted to run like a bat from hell and never return.

"Aww, sweetie, don't be nervous," Dolores said. "Those children are sweethearts, every last one of them. You'll do fine."

Blaine hardly slept that night, but somehow worked up the courage to go back to the children's home the next afternoon. Dolores sent him an encouraging smile and told him to have fun. His answering smile was probably more like a grimace.

When he stepped into the snoozle room, all eyes were on him, and him alone, and he felt his skin prickle and his hands start to sweat.

 _Music instruments. Yes._

Blaine went to the cupboard and started distributing the instruments, exactly as they had done the previous days.

The moment everyone was holding an instrument, he sat down with his guitar and cleared his throat. "So… Ahem. I'm Blaine. I was here yesterday and the day before that too. Let's start by singing some songs, okay? I'm in the mood for Disney songs, I hope that's okay with you guys."

Blaine fiddled with the guitar for a bit before he started singing. Though it didn't really need tuning, the familiar moves steadied his nerves.

Soon, he was singing his heart out, choosing all his favourite tunes from The Little Mermaid, Mulan, Beauty and the Beast and Tarzan. He didn't notice the time fly by, and only stopped when there was a knock on the door, and Dolores stuck her head in. "The hour's up, Blaine!"

"But we haven't had a story yet!" a girl complained. "That's two days without a story!"

"And Keith hasn't had his dragon fix yet," Ruth pointed out.

Dolores hesitated. "Well, Blaine, if you don't have to hurry home yet, maybe you could sing a dragon song for Keith? I'll count it as an extra hour, though you don't have to stay that long."

Blaine blinked at her, and then nodded. "Okay."

Dolores flashed him a bright smile and disappeared.

Blaine turned back to the children, who were looking up at him expectantly. "We can sing _Puff the Magic Dragon_ …"

The girl who wanted a story huffed and stuck her bottom lip out.

"…or I could tell you a dragon story instead," Blaine continued.

The girl lit up. "Yes. Yes! The story, please!"

"What's your name?" Blaine asked.

"It's Louise May Brown, but everyone calls me Lou."

"Can I use your name in the story?"

Lou nodded, grinning widely.

" _Once upon a time, there was a town plagued by a haunted castle on its northern border. In the castle lived a banshee who slithered around town shrieking and touching people's necks with ice-cold fingers and sending them depressing thoughts. There was also a dragon flying around singing their hair and setting their straw roofs on fire, and there were tons of ghosts and pixies and poltergeists that delighted in scaring and annoying the townspeople._

 _After a few hundred years of horrible happenings, the mayor struck a deal with the inhabitants of the castle. Every year, on All Hallow's Eve, the town would choose one person among their own to go to the castle and spend the night there. In return, the castle's inhabitants would leave the townspeople alone._

 _The first year, a few young men volunteered to go, and the tallest and strongest of them was chosen to represent the town. He left with a cheery wave, but returned the next day looking fifty years older. His hair had turned white, and he was shaking like a leaf and muttering nonsense under his breath._

 _Everyone dreaded Halloween from that moment on, because no-one wanted to be chosen to be sent to the castle and return like Crazy Steve, as he was now called._

 _Yet when the day came, the townspeople assembled on the market place, dead silent, waiting with their hearts in their throats for the decision to fall._

 _The mayor came and gave a speech about how much better life was now that they weren't disturbed by supernatural creatures anymore. Then, he let his eyes rove over the crowd, and they all held their breath._

 _In the darkest corner of the market place, under an awning and huddled close together to keep warm, were the children from the town's orphanage and the matron looking after them. Not all of the children were orphans. Some of them lived at the orphanage because their parents didn't want them. Some were missing an arm or a leg, others were often ill, a few behaved oddly or couldn't see or hear._

 _The mayor's eyes lingered on them. They were a sorry bunch, he thought, and unlike the promising young man he'd sent last year, he was sure none of them would come back much the worse for wear after spending a night at the castle. Or if they did, at least no-one would care. After all the backlash he'd had for sending Steve, the town's indifference about the orphans would be a godsend._

 _He pointed to one of the older girls. "What's your name?"_

"Lou!" Lou shouted, and clapped her hands in glee. Blaine smiled at her.

 _"_ _Lou, you will go to the castle tonight, to fulfil the promise we made. Good luck!"_

 _The townspeople applauded, and then went home smiling and sighing in relief._

 _When only the children and the matron from the orphanage were left, Lou looked at her friends and smiled bravely. "Well, off I go, then. I'll see you tomorrow!"_

 _The matron shook her head. "Lou, you can't go all by yourself. What if you have a seizure?"_

 _Lou shrugged, putting on a bit more bravado than she felt. "I'll survive."_

 _"_ _You're not going alone, and that's final," the matron declared._

 _"_ _I'll go with her," said Ruth._

 _The matron rolled her eyes. "Ruth, you're blind. How will you be able to tell Lou needs your help? And how will you help her?"_

 _Ruth stuck her chin out and glared at the matron. "I've helped Lou before."_

 _Lou nodded._

 _"_ _I'll come as well," said Keith. "I want to see the dragon."_

 _The matron wavered, and then gave in. "All right, then. Will you be careful? Please come back in one piece, the lot of you."_

 _Lou took Ruth's hand and nodded at Keith, and the three of them set off on their journey._

 _The path to the castle was narrow and winding and in some places overgrown. Keith walked in front and used his pocket knife to hack through the bramble bushes so they could squeeze through._

 _As soon as the castle came in sight, they stopped and stared. However scary it was to be going there, there was no denying the castle was a sight to see. A white stone building that shone in the moonlight, with graceful turrets and a well-tended garden._

 _It was decorated for Halloween with dozens of carved pumpkins, the candles in them exuding a warm and welcoming light._

 _Lou described it all to Ruth._

 _"_ _It sounds lovely," Ruth said._

 _They smiled at each other and stepped onto the cobblestone driveway. The moment they set foot on it, something swooped down from the sky._

 _"_ _Welcome, welcome!" the creature said, in a hoarse whisper._

 _Lou saw Keith stiffen, and stepped in front of him for protection, throwing her arms wide open. "Please don't touch my friend. He doesn't like people touching him without permission. It makes him very uncomfortable."_

 _"_ _No touching, eh?" asked the creature. "Well, well… Sybil won't like that. Don't tell her your names, then, if you don't want to be touched. You give her power over you when you tell her your name."_

 _"_ _Who's Sybil?" Ruth wanted to know._

 _"_ _She's a banshee," the creature answered. "Oh, where are my manners? My name's Banner. Joe Banner. I used to be the gatekeeper. Lived in that cottage over there. I was killed when the revolutionaries came and killed my master and mistress. I became a ghost, they didn't."_

 _"_ _Nice to meet you, Mr Banner," the three children chorused._

 _A smile lit up the ghost's blue-grey features, and now Lou and Keith could see him a lot more clearly. He looked like a friendly middle-aged man with a pot belly and a very round nose._

 _"_ _Would you like a tour of the castle?" Mr Banner offered, and everyone nodded and followed him._

A throat-clearing made Blaine look towards the door. It was Dolores again. "Uhm, Blaine, sorry, but could you wrap it up? It's nearly the children's supper time."

"Okay," said Blaine, and then he turned to the children again. "The next part of the story will be for tomorrow, okay?"

There were a few groans, but most of the children grinned and nodded.

"Please put your instruments back in the cupboard," Blaine instructed them.

They did so, and then filed out of the room, Ruth and Lou bestowing a big hug on Blaine before they left.

 _Well. Huh. I guess they had fun._

When he passed the reception desk, Dolores said, "Next time, put on a watch, Blaine. And check it every now and then."

Blaine frowned at her. "I don't have a watch."

"Huh. You can afford earrings, a leather jacket, eyeliner and mascara, but not a watch?"

Blaine bit his lip, and then confessed, "Those are all my mother's."

"The motorbike too?"

"My brother's."

Dolores raised her eyebrows. "Ooh. Is he a rebel too?"

Blaine scowled. "He's an actor. In LA. Bailed on me when he turned eighteen. Just packed his bags and left. He didn't take his bike, though, so it's mine now."

Dolores hummed. "Well, if your mother doesn't have a watch you can borrow, I have a kitchen timer here you can use. Just ask me."

Blaine nodded.

"They like you," Dolores said. "You might just dethrone Kurt as their favourite. Ghost stories, though? If they have nightmares, I'm blaming you."

 _Uh-oh._

"Just kidding!" Dolores laughed. "Seriously, the way they were hanging on your every word, I bet they'll all sleep like a top."

"Oh, great," Blaine breathed out.

"Tomorrow you're teaming up with Kurt again. Best tell him beforehand that you have a story to finish. He doesn't seem the control-freak type, but his sessions are as scheduled as Rachel's."

"I will. Thank you."

Dolores shook her head. "I don't get why you young'uns all want to look like hoodlums instead of the sweet polite boys you are. But hey, you do you, I guess. See you tomorrow, Blaine!"

Blaine came home that afternoon to a note from his mother telling him that she was on a business trip and that she'd be gone until next Wednesday. He sighed, crumpled it and threw it in the bin.

His mom was always gone these days. Being a single parent and sole provider meant working long hours and weekends too.

Well, on the bright side, at least she hadn't seen his black eye or heard about his suspension yet. And neither had his father, thankfully. Yes, he'd abandoned them for a new wife and a new child, but he still liked to meddle in Blaine's life and chew him out for every mistake he made.

So however unfair it was that Blaine got punished for a fight Karofsky had started, he was glad that at least the school hadn't called his parents about it.

And now, after three days at the home, he had to agree with Kurt. Volunteering there was fun to do.

He grabbed an apple and a cup of yoghurt from the fridge, ran up the stairs to his room, took his shoes off and dived onto his bed.

He was actually looking forward to going back to the home tomorrow afternoon. And the best part was that he'd get to see Kurt again. The very thought made his stomach swoop, and he grinned at the ceiling.

 _I guess it's time to break out my leather pants…_


	3. Chapter 3: Scoring a Date

Author's Note:

I did tell you I was planning on continuing this story, right? Thanks for waiting patiently, and here's the next chapter for you. Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Scoring a Date

The next day, Blaine turned up ten minutes early, and was chatting with Dolores when Kurt came in.

Kurt seemed happily surprised to see him, and his eyes lingered on Blaine's green eyeliner and his leather pants. Blaine internally fist-pumped.

"Hey Blaine."

"Hey Kurt. Uhm, I kind of have a story to finish today."

Kurt quirked an eyebrow.

"Turns out Blaine isn't very good at time management," Dolores drawled, making Blaine squirm. "His session ran over yesterday. By more than an hour. So I told him to keep the rest of the story for today."

Now Kurt's other eyebrow went up too. "You stayed for more than two hours?"

Blaine fidgeted. "Yep."

"Must have been quite the story."

"It was good," Dolores said. "Scary, though."

Kurt hummed and gave Blaine a piercing look. "Well, we'd better head in, I suppose, if you have a story to finish."

When they entered the snoozle room together, Lou and Ruth came to hug the both of them.

Kurt unlaced his Doc Martens, sank down gracefully into a lotus position, and told the children that Blaine would get to continue his story first. The children cheered, and Blaine ran a hand over his neck bashfully.

"All right, then…"

Lou squeaked excitedly and grabbed Ruth's hand.

" _Mr. Banner led them into the castle, where the pumpkin theme continued – there were dozens of them, from tiny to huge, intricately carved and flickering with candlelight. The biggest one said "WELCOME", and yes, they did feel welcome as Mr. Banner chatted on and on about the family who'd built the castle way back in the 1500s._

 _He showed them a big banquet hall, with long tables in gleaming wood and crystal chandeliers._

 _"_ _Mrs Rose and I keep them nice and polished, just in case we get visitors, you know. Oh, I'll take you to see Mrs Rose first – you must be famished after your long walk here! Mrs Rose used to be the cook here. She's a ghost, like me. She'll whip you up something in no time. We made sure to stock up on food, since we knew the town would be sending someone over today. And now there's three of you! Oh, she'll be so pleased!"_

 _Mr. Banner led them through a draughty corridor to the kitchen, where he introduced Mrs Rose to them. "Best not ask their names, Millie, or Sybil will find out, and the boy doesn't like to be touched."_

 _Mrs. Rose laughed. "Well, honeys, I need to call you something. Make up a name that I can call you by. What would you have picked if you could have chosen your own names?_ "

Blaine looked up at Lou and cocked his head. "What would you pick?"

Lou clapped her hands in excitement. "Ariana! Like Ariana Grande."

"I want to be Beyoncé," said Ruth.

They looked at Keith, who looked upset and said he wanted to keep his name.

"No worries," said Lou. "We can introduce ourselves to Mrs Rose as Ariana, Beyoncé and Friend. As in: we don't want to say your name, but you're a friend of ours. Would that work?"

"Friend?" Keith pondered that, deeply, and then nodded. "Okay."

 _"_ _Mrs. Rose beamed. "Well, Ariana, Beyoncé and Friend, would you care for a spot of dinner? I made pumpkin soup, and fresh bread to go with it. For the main dish, I have a venison stew, and for dessert, there's apple cake."_

 _The girls exchanged a worried hand squeeze, and then Lou explained to Mrs. Rose, ever so tentatively, "That sounds good, ma'am, but the stew is going to be a problem for our friend. He likes to keep all the different kinds of food apart on his plate."_

 _Mrs. Rose nodded. "I see. Hmm, well, I always have a lot of meat in stock for the dragon, so I can always fry something else for your friend. Let's see… Chicken fillet with potatoes and cauliflower? I could even make a nice cheese sauce for the cauliflower?"_

 _Keith shook his head at that. "No sauce. Please."_

 _Mrs. Rose smiled at him. "No sauce it is. I have to say, it's such a nice change to get visitors that don't run away screaming. Last year's visitor was so high-strung that you couldn't say a word to him without spooking him. And look at you, much younger than that lad, and not afraid at all. And such polite sweet children. Just lovely. Do you want to eat in the banquet hall or here?"_

 _"_ _Here, please," they all chorused._

 _It was nice and warm in the kitchen, full of amazing smells, and the children felt at home as they ate their dinner. Mr. Banner kept up a steady stream of chatter, with Mrs. Rose chiming in every now and then._

 _After dinner, they thanked Mrs. Rose and followed Mr Banner to see the rest of the castle. While climbing the stairs, they came across a woman with stringy hair and twitchy fingers._

 _"_ _Hey Sybil," Mr. Banner greeted her cheerfully. "Please don't touch the children, they don't like that."_

 _The banshee cackled, and the sound sent a shiver down everyone's spine._

 _"_ _Don't like it, eh?" Sybil rasped, coming closer and wiggling her fingers. Lou and Ruth hastened to stand in front of Keith._

 _"_ _So what are your names, loveys?" Sybil drawled._

 _"_ _You can call us Ariana, Beyoncé, and Friend," Lou rattled off glibly._

 _Sybil pouted. "But those are not your REAL names!"_

 _"_ _They're all you're going to get," Ruth told her. "We don't want you touching us."_

 _The banshee let out a loud shriek and then stormed off._

 _Mr. Banner chuckled. "Touchy, that gal. In more ways than one."_

 _Lou bit her lip. "I'm sorry if we hurt her feelings."_

 _"_ _Now, now, none of that," said Mr. Banner. "Your comfort trumps her feelings. Sybil likes hugging, yes, but that's not something you should force on people."_

 _"_ _I still feel bad," Lou mumbled, and Ruth nodded._

 _"_ _Well, you could draw her a picture, maybe, before you go? And wave at her when you leave tomorrow morning? I'm sure she'd like that."_

 _The girls smiled at Mr. Banner, and Keith thought it over and then said, "Okay."_

 _Upstairs, a swarm of excited pixies surrounded them._

 _"_ _They want a gift from you. Best sing them a song if you want them to leave," Mr. Banner advised. "They like music."_

Kurt laughed. "Well, isn't that just perfect! Let's sing a few songs for the pixies, shall we?"

Everyone concurred, and in no time, they were all singing their hearts out.

When the session was over, Lou came up to Blaine to ask if he'd be back. "You WILL tell us the rest of the story, won't you?"

"Sure, I will," Blaine promised.

He turned to Kurt and asked, "When's the next session? Tomorrow?"

Kurt shook his head. "Sunday afternoons are for family."

"So Monday, then?"

"I've got glee club on Mondays, so I won't be here. But you can come, absolutely."

They left the snoozle room together, and once again, Dolores asked how it had gone.

"The story's still not finished," Blaine confessed.

"A story in installments? That's neat. So you'll be back on Monday, then? I'll jot that down in the spreadsheet. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, boys!"

Dolores clicked and typed away behind her computer, and Blaine and Kurt were already at the sliding doors when she called, "Blaine? Do I put you in for Tuesday, too?"

Blaine turned his head. "Uhm… Yep. Okay."

"Oh, good. Sam called that he couldn't make it this week. If you come instead, the children won't be so disappointed. He reads to them, you see, and he does all the voices. They love that."

Blaine didn't really know what to say to that, but Kurt laughed softly. "They love Blaine's story even more. You should have seen them, Dolores. It was like Blaine had them under a spell."

Blaine shuffled his feet and dropped his gaze when they both turned to look at him.

"You've certainly taken to this fast, Blaine," said Dolores. "I hope you'll stick around after your forty hours are up. You're a good asset to the team."

Kurt giggled and mumbled something like, "Asset is right."

Blaine felt his cheeks heat up, and his stomach swooped happily at being noticed. "Thank you. I'll… I'll think about it."

He walked towards his motorbike with Kurt behind him, and as he started fiddling with the padlock to open it, he felt Kurt's hand on his shoulder.

"Hey… I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, just now."

Blaine looked up with a grin and was just about to tell Kurt he could admire Blaine's ass all he liked, when Kurt continued, "I was out of line. I swear I didn't mean to… hit on you, or anything."

Blaine's face fell. "You didn't?"

Kurt frowned. "No."

Blaine nodded, and sat down on his bike. "No harm done. Have a nice weekend!"

He revved the engine, but Kurt, far from taking the hint to go away, grabbed one of the handlebars of his bike. "Did you want me to hit on you?"

Blaine bit his lip. "I wanted you to notice me. You're hot."

Kurt flashed him a brilliant smile. "Thanks. Flattery will get you everywhere."

"Will it get me your phone number?" Blaine wheedled, and now Kurt laughed out loud, but he held his hand out for Blaine's phone and typed his digits in, sending himself a message. "There. Now you have my number and I have yours."

They grinned at each other, and then Blaine slid his phone back in his pocket and revved the engine again. A hand on top of his stopped him.

"I'm sorry I'm going to miss the next installment of the story," Kurt told Blaine. "On Monday."

Blaine cocked his head to the side. "Well… We could meet up at the Lima Bean after my session. And your glee club. And I could tell you the next part of the story. Say… Around five?"

"Hmm… I don't know… Will you remember to check the time on Monday? If you don't, you're sure to stand me up."

Blaine nodded quickly. "I'll put on a watch. I promise."

Kurt beamed at him. "Then you've got yourself a date."


	4. Chapter 4: Dinner at the Hummels'

**Author's Note: Another chapter for you, and this time with some Kurt POV as well :-) Enjoy!**

Chapter 4: Dinner at the Hummels'

Blaine didn't know what to do with himself on Sunday. He was still suspended from school, so he had no homework. His mother was away for work, so the house was quiet. He ended up falling asleep in front of the TV in the afternoon, waking up when the daylight was already waning, with a dry mouth and a woozy head.

His cell phone beeped, and when Blaine checked it, he had two new messages.

 **From: Kurt**

Looking forward to our coffee date tomorrow.

 **From: Kurt**

Do you need me to send you a reminder tomorrow or will you wear a watch and check it? :P

Blaine chuckled and answered that he'd remember.

The rest of the day, he spent planning his outfit for Monday. He ended up picking the leather pants again, this time paired with his nicest dark blue shirt and a faded denim jacket, plus of course a watch. It belonged to his mother, was silver and dainty and didn't go with his outfit at all, but it told time correctly, and that was the main thing.

Monday morning, he looked critically at himself in the mirror, and decided that his hair was becoming too long. Time for a visit to the hairdresser!

He felt like a shorn sheep when he got out of the salon, but shook off the feeling. His hair had been wild. All over the place. Now, it would be more manageable.

After a quick lunch, he put on his date outfit, lined his eyes carefully, and shaved his stubble too, just in case there would be kissing later. It never hurt to be optimistic.

When Blaine arrived at the home that afternoon, he felt butterflies in his stomach that had nothing to do with stage fright, and he beamed at Dolores.

"Be still, my heart," she quipped. "You trimmed your hair AND shaved! Who are you after, then? If it's me, I'm gonna have to turn you down, love. I'm married."

Blaine threw his head back and laughed. "Not playing for your team, Dolores."

He winked at her and made his way to the snoozle room.

Lou noticed the changes in his appearance as well. "You look nice, Blaine! Not that you didn't look nice before, but…"

Blaine grinned. "I get it, honey. Let's continue with the story, shall we?"

Ruth clapped happily. "Yay!"

" _The children sang for the pixies, who zoomed and clicked and clapped like mad, their glow becoming ever brighter as they grew more and more enthusiastic. After the third song, they flew off, content, and Mr Banner took the children further along the corridor._

 _Before he opened the door to the first room, Mr Banner's expression became apologetic. "Uhm, I don't know if you've ever met a poltergeist? They're not bad creatures, I promise. But they can be loud. And unpredictable."_

 _The children nodded, Keith reaching for his fidget spinner in his coat pocket for comfort._

 _Inside the room, they saw three people. One of them was knocking their head against the wall over and over and over, the sound ricocheting. The second was moving their torso back and forth, eyes vacant and fingers plucking at each other. The third held their head in their hands and keened loudly."_

"Oh… They're stimming! They should have a room like this," said Lou, and everyone nodded.

Blaine smiled at Lou and continued the story.

 _"_ _Too bad you don't have a snoozle room," said Lou, and explained to Ruth, "These people are stimming. But they don't really have anything to do that safely. The room is empty. Do you still have the pom-poms we made this afternoon?""_

The children giggled. When Blaine had come into the room, he'd noticed that there were pom-poms on each of their laps, in a riot of colours. Now everyone waved them about, excited that their handiwork featured in the story.

 _"_ _Ruth nodded. "I made three."_

 _Lou grinned. "Great. I made two. So we have enough to spare."_

 _Both girls searched for their pom-poms and offered one to each of the poltergeists. They were reluctant to accept the gift, but in the end, they did, and they quieted down considerably._

 _"_ _You should really do something about this room," Lou explained to Mr Banner. "A carpet would help them, and wall hangings, and softer light. And they should have something they can touch when they get stressed. A pom-pom will do for now. But there's better stuff. Show Mr Banner your fidget spinner, Friend.""_

Keith looked up in alarm.

Lou shot him a pleading look. "Please? Just to explain what you can do with it?"

Slowly, Keith took the spinner out of his pocket, and demonstrated all its functions.

Blaine nodded in thanks.

 _""_ _Ingenious," said Mr Banner. "We'll look into that. Thank you."_

 _Keith hastened to hide his spinner again._

 _"_ _The dragon is next,_ " _said Mr Banner, and Keith perked up._

 _The dragon had a large hall all to herself, but still, she only just fit into it. She lifted her head when Mr Banner came in with the children, her eyes glittering with curiosity._

 _"_ _Aeolys, these are our visitors for Halloween. Don't harm them, please, they're our guests. Mrs Rose is getting your dinner ready. No cream sauce this time, I promise. I told her it disagrees with your stomach."_

 _The dragon hummed, a deep, rumbling sound._

 _"_ _She gets these stomach pains whenever she eats something wrong," Mr Banner explained. "The only thing that helps is flying around and belching ever so often. But of course, when she does that, it comes out as fire. That's why she's been banned from your town. Set the roofs on fire, you see."_

 _The children nodded in understanding, and Keith spoke up. "I could… talk to Mrs Rose? About a dragon's diet? I've read about it."_

 _"_ _Keith is an expert on dragons," Ruth said._

 _Lou grinned. "Knows everything about them."_

 _Mr. Banner lifted an eyebrow. "My, my, you sure are a plucky lot. I thought you'd run away yelling when I showed you the dragon. Does nothing scare you?"_

 _"_ _Oh, sure, there's stuff that frightens me," Lou admitted. "I'm claustrophobic, and afraid of the dark."_

 _"_ _I'm scared of bugs," Ruth said. "And our friend here has a thing with people touching him."_

 _"_ _I'll make sure you have a large room then, with a night light. And don't worry about bugs, the pixies eat them all. And nobody will touch you as long as you don't tell Sybil your name. Shall I show you to your rooms, then? You must be tired."_

 _Half an hour later, all three of the children were in large, comfy beds._

 _"_ _This is nice, isn't it?" Lou sighed sleepily. "I think I'll come back next year."_

 _The others hummed in assent, and before long, they were all sleeping soundly."_

Blaine surreptitiously checked his watch, and saw that he had time for a few songs, so he took the guitar from the cupboard and started a sing-along. He made sure to check his watch after every song, though, and stopped exactly on time.

"Why were you looking at your watch so often?" a boy in a wheelchair asked.

"Don't be nosy, Ryan," Ruth chided him.

Blaine smiled. "It's okay. I have a date, Ryan, and I don't want to be late."

"Oooooh…"

Blaine felt the tips of his ears glow.

"Is it with Kurt?" asked Lou.

Now the heat was everywhere in his face. Was he that transparent?

He mumbled a yes, and the children cheered, and a few of them moved in for a hug.

Well, at least they weren't homophobic. Kurt was right about that: Blaine felt accepted here. After all, where better to fit than among other misfits?

Blaine sidled past Dolores, hoping he'd be able to slip away without a cross-examination, but no such luck.

"You stopped on time!" Dolores pointed out. "Got a hot date, handsome?"

Again, blood rushed to Blaine's face.

"You do have a date!" Dolores crowed. "Let me guess… Kurt wants in your leather pants?"

Blaine felt his lips curve up all by themselves at the mention of Kurt.

"Oh, you've got it bad," Dolores cooed. "Go on, get out of here, but don't get so caught up in Kurt that you forget to come here tomorrow afternoon. You promised to take over Sam's session."

"I'll be there," Blaine promised, and then hurried out.

He arrived at the Lima Bean before Kurt, and ordered his medium drip and a plate of biscotti. What drink would Kurt prefer? Hmm, something sweet, he'd wager. "And a medium white mocha, please."

K&B

Kurt got out of his car, but before he went into the Lima Bean, he looked through the windows to check if Blaine was there. He was. And all spruced up, too! My oh my, Blaine cleaned up well.

Kurt grinned and went in, queuing for his drink, but then Blaine caught his eye, waving and pointing at the two cups on his table.

"You bought me coffee?" Kurt asked, sitting down opposite Blaine. "How did you know what to pick?"

Blaine shrugged. "I didn't. So I hope you like white mochas."

Kurt took a sip and nodded. "Perfect."

They easily fell into conversation, and it wasn't until Kurt's eyes fell on the clock behind the register that he realised they'd been here far longer than he'd planned on. "It's six thirty! My dad's going to be home in half an hour and I haven't even gotten started on dinner yet! And you haven't told me the next part of the story either!"

Blaine bit his lip. "Sorry."

"You could come with me?" Kurt offered. "Entertain me while I'm cooking, and stay for dinner?"

Blaine's eyes lit up, and he accepted the invitation eagerly, driving behind Kurt to the Hummels' house.

Five minutes later, Kurt was chopping vegetables as fast as he could without chopping off a finger or two, Blaine sitting next to him on the counter, and he coaxed Blaine to continue the story.

Blaine dipped his head bashfully, but then cleared his throat and began.

When the instalment ended with the children fast asleep in their beds, Kurt nodded in approval.

"Still not finished then, the story?" he asked, stirring the zucchinis into the sauce.

Blaine shrugged. "Nearly finished."

"I like it."

"Me too," said a gruff voice, and both Kurt and Blaine did a double-take.

"Dad! Way to scare us half to death!" Kurt admonished Burt.

"I live here, same as you. And it's dinner time, so I came to the kitchen. Who's your friend?"

Blaine hopped off the counter, stood up straight and offered his hand to shake. "I'm Blaine, sir, Blaine Anderson."

"Hmm. Kurt's never said anything about a Blaine before."

"I'm new at McKinley, sir. A transfer student."

Burt harrumphed and gave Blaine a piercing look. "You staying for dinner?"

"If that's okay with you, sir?"

Burt nodded. "That's fine. And call me Burt, will you?"

"Yes, si… Burt."

"Is that makeup on your eyes or have you been fighting?"

Blaine flashed a panicked look at Burt. "It's both, si… Burt."

Burt harrumphed.

"It's already much faded," Kurt said softly to Blaine. "I could lend you some concealer for it, if you like. And teach you how to put it on properly. You're not doing a very good job with the eyeliner and mascara."

"That stuff is HARD!" Blaine defended himself.

"Then why put it on at all?" Kurt wanted to know.

Blaine blushed. "I had eyeliner put on me for a dare. When I was still at Westerville High. And the girl said it really brought out my eyes."

Kurt hummed in understanding. "It does."

Burt cleared his throat. "So is this your boyfriend then, Kurt?"

The boys looked at each other bashfully.

"I'd like to be," Blaine whispered.

Kurt felt his stomach swoop and grinned ear to ear. "Yes, Dad, this is my boyfriend."

"Lay off the fighting, kid, okay? And don't you dare lay a finger on Kurt or I'll break out my shotgun!"

Blaine's face was a mask of shock. "I would never!"

Kurt put a hand on Blaine's arm. "I know."

Kurt turned to Burt, "He defended himself against bullies. Knocked one of them into hospital."

Burt's mouth fell open. "You're the one who knocked Paul Karofsky's kid out cold? But that boy is twice your size!"

Blaine shrugged. "I box."

"So it was provoked?" Burt probed.

Blaine's jaw set. "It was."

"A year ago, Kurt got into trouble over Karofsky's kid, too. They made him volunteer at the home. I guess they roped you into helping out there, too?"

Blaine nodded, his eyes still wary.

"Hey, now. Can't blame me for wanting to know more about you. Kurt's never brought a boy home before. And he's all I have. I need to make sure you're good for him."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Dad…"

"You have this whole tough guy act going on, bud, but you're soft as a marshmallow inside. Got your mother's big heart. I don't want anyone to take advantage, and make you miserable."

Kurt sighed. "I'll take my chances. Blaine is sweet with children, musical, creative, and funny. All good stuff in my book."

"All right, then, suit yourself. Dinner almost ready?"

"In half an hour, Dad. I lost track of time talking to Blaine."

When Burt headed to the living room, Blaine sagged against the counter and let out a shaky breath.

Kurt giggled. "My dad's a big teddy bear, really. Not half as scary as he looks."

Blaine managed a weak smile. "My mom's the opposite. Looks tiny and sweet, but get on her wrong side and you'll regret it."

Kurt quirked an eyebrow. "Noted."

"That's why she can't know about this black eye."

Now both of Kurt's eyebrows hit his hairline. "Doesn't she know already?"

"She's on a business trip. Gets back on Wednesday."

Kurt hummed in understanding. "And your dad?"

Blaine scowled. "Not in the picture anymore."

Kurt bit his lip to stop himself from asking more. Blaine had been alone at his house for nearly a week now? No wonder he took on all those sessions at the home. And what had he been eating? Was this going to be his first home-cooked meal in a week?

Half an hour later, he got his answer to that, when Blaine took his first bite of dinner and moaned. Actually moaned.

Kurt got a bit hot under the collar and didn't dare look at Blaine.

"Sounds like you were hungry, kid," Burt chuckled.

"Yeah, I was… But this is just… So good. Beats pizza and burgers and fries and Chinese take-out by a mile."

Burt chuckled. "I wouldn't mind burgers and fries once in a while, but Kurt put the kibosh on them. Bad for my heart. So… Your mom's not much of a cook, then?"

Blaine looked up from shovelling food into his mouth, swallowed and then said, "Oh no, it's not that. She's a great cook. She just doesn't have the time to cook. Always working."

"I could teach you a few recipes," Kurt offered. "Then you can cook for your mom. Would be a nice surprise, wouldn't it?"

Blaine cocked his head to the side, contemplating the offer. Just when Kurt thought he'd overstepped and wanted to apologise, Blaine smiled. "Yeah. That would be nice."

After dinner, Blaine helped with the dishes, and then came along to Kurt's room (with Burt insisting, "No hanky panky, Kurt! The door stays OPEN!"), where Kurt told him about the new glee assignment, and roped him into helping him find the perfect song for it.

A few hours later, they were singing together happily when Burt knocked on the door jamb. "Shouldn't you be getting home, kid? School night and all?"

Blaine jumped up from where he'd been sitting on Kurt's bed, and nodded like a bobblehead. "Yes, si… Burt."

Kurt accompanied Blaine out of the house, shivering a little because he forgot to grab a jacket first.

"Come here," said Blaine softly, wrapping his arms around Kurt and rubbing his back. "Better?"

"Much."

Blaine straightened up and playfully kissed Kurt's nose. "Thank you for inviting me over. And if you're serious about teaching me to cook, I'd like that. A lot."

Kurt grinned. "Then you can come over again tomorrow. And maybe Wednesday, after our session, I could come over to yours so we can make your mom dinner? I'll bring my concealer, for your eye."

Blaine kissed Kurt's cheek and let go of his waist. He straddled his motorbike and smiled. "It's a date."

A cool breeze swept over Kurt and made him break out in goose bumps. "Well, goodnight, then… I'm going back inside."

"Goodnight, boyfriend."

Kurt felt his stomach swoop, and dashed to Blaine to give him one last hug. He felt Blaine's arms wind around his middle again, and already, that felt so familiar and so right. He looked into Blaine's eyes, and moved in slowly for a kiss.

The touch of Blaine's lips was soft and hesitant, but to Kurt, it couldn't have been more perfect.

Kurt didn't head back inside until the rumble of Blaine's motorbike had completely faded.

"So I'm going to see more of this kid, I take it?" Burt remarked, making Kurt jump.

"Dad! Don't scare me like that!"

Burt chuckled. "Not my fault you've got your head in the clouds, bud. For what it's worth, I like him."

Kurt beamed. "I like him too."


	5. Chapter 5: Stories and Spuds

Author's Note:

Blaine's story finally comes to an end, and he goes to the Hudmel's again for a cooking lesson.

Chapter 5: Stories and Spuds

That Tuesday afternoon, the children were surprised to see Blaine enter the snoozle room again.

"Where's Sam?" Ryan asked.

Blaine shrugged. "Dolores said he couldn't make it this week. So you get me again today. Is that okay?"

The children grinned and shouted, "Yay!"

Blaine felt his cheeks heat up. "All right then… Let's get on with the story."

" _The next morning, the children woke up to the tantalising smell of a cooked breakfast, and hurried downstairs to the kitchen._

 _They ran into the pixies, but they seemed just as hungry as the children, foraging for spiders and bugs and paying them no attention when they slipped past._

 _In the kitchen, Mrs Rose and Mr Banner greeted them with a hearty "Good morning!"_

 _The cook put a heaping plate of eggs, bacon, hashed browns and fried tomatoes and mushrooms in front of them. Keith got a silver platter instead of a plate, with all the different kinds of food neatly divided._

 _"_ _Thank you, Mrs Rose!" the children chorused, and they tucked in happily._

 _After breakfast, they helped the cook with the dishes, while Keith told her all about the ideal dragon's diet. "No dairy at all, they can't digest it well, and it gives them heartburn. They should mostly eat meat. Poultry is best. If you give them red meat, it should be lean. Trim off the fat. Especially when you feed them lamb or mutton. That's the worst kind of fat."_

 _Mrs Rose made sure to jot down Keith's instructions, and thanked all three of them for their help._

 _"_ _You'll be leaving, then?" Mr Banner asked._

 _"_ _We promised to draw Sybil a picture," Keith reminded him._

 _So Mr Banner took them up to the attic to rummage in the trunks of the former chatelain's belongings until they found drawing supplies._ "

A boy raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"What's a chatelain?"

"The lord of the castle. The lady of the castle is called the chatelaine. It's French."

"Oh."

 _"_ _They each made a colourful drawing, wrote on it "To Sybil" and handed it to Mr Banner._

 _"_ _Beautiful," the ghost said. "Oh, I'm going to miss having you around. It's been so much fun."_

 _"_ _So much fun," Ruth concurred._

 _"_ _You're always welcome," Mrs Rose told her. "All of you. And you can bring your friends. We love having people over."_

 _The children grinned and promised to come back one day._

 _Then, they put on their coats and hats, thanked Mrs Rose and Mr Banner for their hospitality and left the castle, turning around to wave before they took the path back to town._

 _At the orphanage, the matron folded the three children into her arms with a sound between a sob and a sigh. Keith stiffened, and the matron quickly let him go and apologised. "I'm sorry, bub, I didn't think… I'm just… SO relieved you're all back safe and sound!"_

 _Keith stepped away a little and gingerly gave her a pat on the arm. "We're okay, Matron. I promise."_

 _"_ _We had a lovely time," Lou said. "The castle and the creatures in it were so interesting. And the food was scrumptious."_

 _Everyone crowded around them and listened with bated breath as they recounted their adventures._

 _"_ _They sound nice," said Ryan. "Well, except for Sybil."_

 _Ruth nodded. "Oh, they are. And I think Mr Banner and Mrs Rose feel pretty lonely. They loved having us visit, and they were sad to see us go. Said we were welcome any time. And our friends too."_

 _The matron tilted her head to the side. "Hmm… You said the poltergeists needed a snoozle room?"_

 _"_ _They have nothing to stim with," Keith confirmed. "Nothing. They were banging their heads against the wall. And fidgeting."_

 _"_ _And making a noise like a tea kettle," Lou added._

 _The matron tut-tutted. "Oh, those poor dears… Well, we could make them a soft carpet and wall hangings. To thank them for their hospitality. Do you have any idea how big the room is?"_

 _They turned to Keith expectantly._

 _"_ _I'd say about 430 square feet," he said. "And the ceiling's about ten feet high."_

 _It took them over a month to make the carpet, and the matron had to stay up late for weeks on end to finish the wall hangings in time for Christmas._

 _On Christmas morning, after the children had eaten breakfast and opened their presents, they put on their warmest outerwear, and set off to the castle. They noticed that the path was no longer overgrown, and that it had been broadened and repaved._

 _"_ _See?" said Lou. "They really want us to come visit them again!"_

 _When they reached the driveway, Mr Banner appeared, beaming ear to ear. A few children screamed, but they were shushed and comforted straight away._

 _"_ _Welcome, welcome! You've brought friends! Oh, this is wonderful!"_

 _The matron cleared her throat. "What do we say to Mr Banner?"_

 _"_ _Merry Christmas, Mr Banner!" chorused the children._

 _Mr Banner chuckled. "Merry Christmas to you all! Come in, come in! Mrs Rose was hoping you'd come by. Though I don't think any of us hoped that so many of you would come!"_

 _"_ _We've brought gifts!" Ruth announced. "We practised Christmas carols to sing for the pixies. We brought drawings and friendship bracelets for you and Mrs Rose and Sybil. For the dragon, we have herbs that will help settle its stomach. And we made soft things for the poltergeists, to make their room nicer."_

 _The children showed Mr Banner the carpet and the wall hangings._

 _"_ _Marvellous. Just marvellous! We gave them a few sheep skins, because you said they needed soft furnishings, but this is so much better!"_

 _All the children from the orphanage headed inside, and Mr Banner brought them straight to the kitchen for hot chocolate and a snack._

 _Mrs Rose was glad to see them. "Oh goodness me! You've brought all your friends! Well, thank heavens I've been baking all day yesterday. Help yourself to a sugar cookie or a bun, children, and I'll fill you a mug of hot chocolate to warm you up after your long walk."_

 _Soon, all the children were munching away happily, and chatting a mile a minute to Mrs Rose and Mr Banner._

 _The matron, too, seemed very much at ease, complimenting Mrs Rose on her iced buns and requesting the recipe for the cook at the orphanage._

 _After snack time, they went upstairs. First, they sang to the pixies. Then they arranged the carpet and the wall hangings for the poltergeists, who looked rather alarmed when their room was invaded by dozens of children, but were quick to touch the new furnishings and hum happily._

 _"_ _They've quieted down a lot already," said Mr Banner. "They love the sheep skins I've given them, and they're playing with the pom-poms a lot. I can tell that it helps. They seem happier."_

 _"_ _Maybe divide the room into three separate spaces?" the matron suggested. "That way, if they want to visit each other, they can, but if they want some quiet time to themselves, they won't be disturbed by the others."_

 _Mr Banner promised he'd look into it, and led them to the dragon, who drank deeply of the herbal tea they'd brewed for it and let out a tiny burp. That made the children giggle, and the flame that came out of its mouth made them whoop and cheer._

 _They stayed the whole day, and trudged back to the orphanage with their bellies full, already looking forward to their next visit._

 _That day came sooner than they'd expected._

 _The orphanage was established in an old derelict house. There were always problems of some kind – roof leaks, plumbing or wiring issues, the wind blasting in through the thin windows and making everyone shiver. But they'd always found a solution._

 _On New Year's Day, though, something happened that they could not solve. A storm blew a tree over, and it went straight through the roof of the orphanage. Two children were injured, the staircase was completely destroyed and the whole house wobbled like it could fall over any moment._

 _The matron herded everyone out and took them to the town hall, to discuss what should be done with the mayor._

 _The mayor was less than helpful. "Well, uhm… Can't you contact the children's families and ask them to take the children in?"_

 _The matron quirked her eyebrow. "Why would they do that when they sent them to the orphanage in the first place?"_

 _"_ _Well, uhm… I'll discuss it with the council and get back to you."_

 _"_ _How long will that take?"_

 _"_ _Well, uhm… A month? Given the urgency, we could speed that up to two weeks, maybe?"_

 _The matron huffed, and steered the children out of the town house, and straight to the path that led to the castle. And there they stayed for the rest of their days, and they all lived…"_

"Happily ever after!" Lou yelled. "Oh wow, that was amazing! I wish that castle was a real place. That we could visit."

The other children concurred.

Blaine checked his watch, and saw that he had run over a little, and that he really had to leave if he wanted to be at Kurt's in time for a cooking lesson.

"Well, that will be it for today," he announced to loud groans. "Tomorrow, Kurt will be back!"

A cheer went up.

"Will you be coming too?" asked Ryan.

"I'll be here," Blaine promised, and he accepted a few hugs before he hurried away.

Dolores whistled as he passed. "Another hot date, handsome?"

Blaine winked at her. "You know it!"

"I take it you'll share Kurt's session tomorrow, lover boy?"

"Right again! Bye!"

With a wave at Dolores, Blaine was out the door.

Fifteen minutes later, he was peeling potatoes while telling Kurt the next part of the story.

By the time he reached the end, the dish was in the oven, and he was helping Kurt assemble the side salad.

"Quite the story teller, aren't you?" a gruff voice said, and both boys jumped up in fright.

Burt chuckled. "Jeez, you live in your own world, the both of you. I've been here for at least twenty minutes. Kicked the mud off my boots at the back door, put the groceries in the fridge and the pantry, and made myself coffee. Not exactly Mr Stealth. What more do I have to do to tell you I'm here? Sound a foghorn?"

Kurt's ear tips reddened. "Dad…"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll make myself scarce, I get it. How long 'till we can eat?"

"Another twenty minutes, Dad."

"All right. Nice story, kid, and your eye's getting better, I can tell."

Blaine blinked in surprise, but Burt was gone before he could say anything.

Kurt ran his fingers over Blaine's injured eye in a feather-light touch, peering at it with his brow furrowed in concentration. "Dad's right. It's looking better. A lot less puffy, and lighter in colour. You'll still need concealer tomorrow, though. And for a few days after that."

Blaine let out a mirthless laugh. "If by that time, I don't have a new shiner. I get to go back to school on Thursday, and Karofsky may be out of commission for a while, but there are plenty of other meatheads that will want to make my life miserable."

Kurt squared his jaw. "Let them try. I'll introduce you to my friends Thursday morning. They may be girls, but nobody at school messes with Quinn, Santana and Lauren. Stick with us and none of the jocks will mess with you. That is, if your fight with Karofsky hasn't put the wind up them already. Everyone at school is still talking about it. You've got quite the reputation!"

Blaine grinned. "Impressed, are they?"

Kurt glared at him. "You had better not get into any more fights, mister! I don't want you expelled, and that's sure to happen if they catch you again! Figgins won't listen when you tell him it was self-defence."

Blaine remembered the principal's sanctimonious words and knew that Kurt was right. That was a sobering thought, and he resolved to keep a low profile for the rest of the year.

Dinner was a quiet affair that evening. Blaine wasn't in the mood to chat, and neither seemed the others.

All Burt said was, "Tastes good, boys!", and Kurt urged his father twice to take some more salad.

Burt disappeared to the living room again, and Blaine cleared the table and helped Kurt do the dishes. While rinsing the plates of soapy suds, Kurt started humming. Blaine joined in, and before long, there was an impromptu concert going on in the kitchen.

Blaine didn't stay as long as the previous day. He left with a shopping list in his pocket, for the meal they'd be making at his house.

He took a quick shower and studied his eye in the mirror. Yes, it wasn't as noticeable as before, but he'd still need Kurt to work his magic and hide it, or his mother would have a cow.

As he flopped onto his bed and closed his eyes, he wondered what his mom would think of Kurt? She knew how to look past Blaine's bad boy persona, but he was her son, of course. How would she react to Kurt's studs and tats and pink hair? And to Kurt taking over her kitchen?

 _Well, if she gets a nice meal out of it, Mom can't complain. And Kurt is a really good cook. She'll appreciate that._

Blaine fell asleep to the thought of Kurt and Pam swapping recipes, smiling at the sweet scene his mind conjured up.

 _Mom is sure to like Kurt. He's amazing!_


	6. Chapter 6: Unexpected

Author's Note:

Here's a new chapter for you, from Kurt's and Pam's point of view :-) Enjoy!

From now on, the updates will be a bit slower again. I've got no ready chapters up my sleeve anymore. I promise I won't keep you hanging for too long, though. Thank you for your patience!

Chapter 6: Unexpected

When Kurt and Blaine walked in holding hands that Wednesday afternoon, Dolores cooed at them. "Blaine made his move, did he?"

Kurt quirked an eyebrow. "How do you know it wasn't me?"

"You're too cautious, honey. And I can't blame you, knowing what you've been through."

Kurt sighed. "Touché. And… It was the leather pants, really."

"Thought so. I saw you drooling. Well, about time somebody tapped that ass."

Both boys blushed, and Dolores cackled, so they made a hasty retreat to the snoozle room.

Cheers went up when the children saw them hand in hand, and Blaine grinned and pecked Kurt on the cheek. Kurt felt his lips stretch as far as they could go, and he knew that he must look dopey, but he couldn't find it in himself to care.

After singing a few songs, Kurt told the children another story about Thomas and Dalinda.

" _One day, Thomas and Dalinda were travelling through a region full of farm land. They saw grazing cattle, corn fields and big, well-maintained houses, and Thomas was glad. Rich farmers could always use an extra hand in return for a bite to eat and a place to sleep._

 _Only, when he knocked on the first door, nobody answered, though he heard panicky voices inside the house._

 _Thomas shrugged and walked away, but when the same thing happened everywhere he tried his luck, he became alarmed. What was going on?_

 _Just then, he caught sight of movement. He whipped his head around and saw a girl beckon him. She started a little when he came closer, but didn't run away._

 _"_ _If you're hungry, you can have this," she said, and she gave him a bread roll filled with scrambled eggs and a goblet of milk._

 _Thomas was hungry, and scarfed it down quickly. "Thanks! What can I do for you in return?"_

 _"_ _Nothing, nothing! Please leave as soon as you can, before the giant finds out you're here."_

 _"_ _The giant?"_

 _And then the girl told him about the greedy giant who'd arrived in her region two months ago. "He said he'd bought the castle and all its grounds from count Stanislav, and he invited us all for a feast, because he was our new landlord now. Count Stanislav was a good man, and had the habit of inviting us often, so we didn't think that was odd. But then at the feast, the giant drugged us. The food or the drinks, I don't know, but we all fell asleep. And when we woke up, one person of every family was gone."_

 _"_ _Gone where?" asked Thomas._

 _"_ _Thrown into the dungeons," the girl scowled. "The giant told us that we'd better work hard and give him our entire harvest, or else he'd kill the people he detained."_

 _"_ _Who is it from your family?" Thomas asked._

 _"_ _My little brother. Pjotr."_

 _A tear rolled down the girl's face, and she impatiently rubbed it off with her sleeve._

 _Thomas rubbed his chin, thinking hard. "Why did you help me, anyway? Everyone else seemed scared to death of me."_

 _"_ _No, no, not of you, of the giant," the girl explained. "What he would do if he found out we gave his food to an outsider."_

 _"_ _So why weren't you scared?"_

 _The girl blushed. "You look like my boyfriend Peter. The giant took him, too. I thought you were him, at first. That he'd been able to escape. That's why I wanted to help."_

 _Thomas hummed, an idea forming in his head. "He looks like me, you say?"_

 _"_ _Your eyes are different, though. And he's a bit taller."_

 _"_ _But from far enough away…"_

 _"_ _Yeah, it's hard to tell the difference."_

 _Thomas asked the girl to give him directions to the castle, and Dalinda flew him there._

 _"_ _Ready to play some tricks on the giant?" he asked her, and she flashed her teeth at him in a scary pointy grin."_

Kurt saw a few children shudder, and winked at them with a grin of his own, so that they let out a sigh of relief and a hesitant chuckle.

 _"_ _First off, Thomas had to find the prisoners in the dungeon, and set them free without the giant noticing. That proved easier than expected. The giant was eating, a huge meal that could have fed the whole village, and paid no attention to anything else but his food, slurping and smacking and burping up a storm._

 _Thomas found the key to the dungeons and set the imprisoned villagers free, asking the boy named Peter to stay behind. "If you don't mind? I have a plan to scare off the giant, but I need your help."_

 _"_ _Anything!" Peter promised. He became a little less enthusiastic when Thomas introduced him to Dalinda, but she solemnly promised not to harm him. They put their heads together to strategise, and then Peter went to the great hall to lure the giant out._

 _"_ _Giant! Listen to me!"_

 _The giant, now spooning an entire kettle of custard into his mouth, paused and looked around. "Who's there?"_

 _His voice boomed through the room, and Peter's knees knocked together, but he didn't run away._

 _"_ _It is I, the great Corineus. I killed one of your kin before. Begone before the same lot befalls you!"_

 _The giant stood up and peered at the tiny boy in the doorway. Then, he laughed so hard he had to hold on to his belly, and bellowed, "You, little mouse? You're no match for me!"_

 _A flame coming out of nowhere singed the giant's beard, and he yelped._

 _"_ _I may be small, but I have magic," said the boy, who was now sitting on one of the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, swinging to and fro as if he hadn't a care in the world._

 _Another burst of fire hit the giant, setting the back of his pants ablaze, and he screamed and tore out of the hall and out of the castle to sit down in the moat until the water had put out the flames and soothed his burnt buttocks._

 _"_ _Wait 'till I get my hands on you," the giant growled, getting up and heading back inside._

 _Just then, a shrill whistle sounded, and the boy waved from the top of the battlements._

 _The giant shook his fist at him and thundered up the stairs until he reached the castle's highest point._

 _The boy was still there, standing on the outer wall, his back to the giant._

 _The giant grinned in triumph. If he could just reach the boy without being noticed, he just had to give a little push and he'd be rid of the pesky little nuisance forever. That side of the castle was built on the edge of a mountain cliff. There was no way anyone would survive a fall like that, especially since the rocks below were jagged and sharp._

 _He advanced as quietly as he could, but just before he could shove the boy, somebody yelled, "NOW!", and a lot of things happened at once._

 _The boy jumped to the side, the floor under the giant's feet gave way, and he fell, fell, fell, all the way down, and was never heard of again._

 _The villagers rejoiced, especially when they found out their old landlord, count Stanislav, had been one of the giant's prisoners, and had never sold his castle nor moved away._

 _Everything was put to rights again, and Count Stanislav and the villagers threw Thomas and Dalinda a lavish party, and rewarded them with so much money that Thomas didn't have to work a day the rest of that year._

 _THE END"_

Lou sighed happily. "Can we hear more about Thomas and Dalinda next time you come?"

Kurt laughed. "Maybe. If Blaine doesn't have a story to finish."

The children cheered, and came to hug him and Blaine before they left.

Kurt was still grinning ear to ear when they passed Dolores' desk.

"Going on a date again?" she wanted to know.

"Meeting the parents, actually," Kurt told her, and his good mood deflated a little.

"My mother," Blaine clarified, and squeezed Kurt's hand. "She'll love you, I promise."

Dolores whistled long and low. "Good luck with that, Kurt! Blaine, you'll be back tomorrow?"

"I… Maybe Friday?"

Dolores cackled. "Rachel not doing it for you?"

Blaine shrugged. "She doesn't need me."

"Kurt doesn't either, sweetie. But Friday's fine. See you then!"

K & B

Pam paid the taxi driver and rolled her suitcase up the driveway. She let out a weary sigh as she looked for her house key. She was exhausted and hungry, and could only hope that the freezer and pantry still held a few staples she could turn into a quick meal.

When she stepped inside, she heard singing. It wasn't coming from the living room, nor from Blaine's room. It came from… the kitchen? Did Blaine leave the radio on?

She quickly took her coat and shoes off – oh, what a relief not to have to wear heels anymore! – and hurried to the kitchen.

Blaine was nowhere to be seen, and the house was strangely neat. No bowls or mugs or pizza boxes on the coffee table. The living room looked like it had been vacuumed recently, and in the dining room, the table was set. For three? Now that was weird. And there was a vase with flowers on the table, artfully arranged. Even weirder. What was going on?

Pam stopped dead in her tracks when she arrived at the kitchen and saw a total stranger stirring a sauce on the stove, singing and swaying his hips.

Pam yelled, "Who are you and what are you doing here? I warn you, I'm carrying pepper spray!"

The guy whirled around with a squeak, and she saw that he had tons of piercings, and a tattoo on his neck. Panicked, she rummaged in her purse for the can, and was just about to point it at the stranger and spray into his eyes when a voice from behind stopped her.

"Mom? Mom, you're home!"

Blaine hugged her, beaming ear to ear, and then tugged her towards the stranger. "Mom, this is my boyfriend, Kurt. We're making you dinner, as a welcome home surprise!"

Pam must have looked like a fish on dry land, eyes bugging out and mouth hanging open, but who could blame her… Blaine had a boyfriend now? After barely a week at that school? And he hadn't been beaten up about it yet?

She scrutinised Blaine's face, and detected some puffiness around one eye. Yep, definitely a black eye on the mend. Well, thank heavens it wasn't worse. She guessed the money she'd spent on Blaine's summer boxing course had paid off.

Blaine's boyfriend turned back to the stove with a sigh, and continued stirring, his shoulders stiff and hunched up now. Blaine handed him a spice jar he'd fetched from the pantry, prattling on happily about how wonderful the sauce smelled, and how Pam had arrived just a little bit too early since the sauce would have to simmer for a while and they still had to cook the pasta.

Since when did Blaine cook?

"You're… You're cooking?"

Blaine beamed at her again. "Kurt is teaching me. He's an amazing cook, Mom, you'll see."

Pam nodded. "I can tell. Thank you. This is… Wow. I wasn't… I wasn't expecting this. At all. Kurt, it's nice to meet you. And I'm sorry about threatening you with pepper spray."

Kurt turned his head around, eyes wide, and then sent her a cautious smile. "Pleased to meet you, ma'am."

 _Politer than he looks, that one. Good._

"You did what, Mom?!"

Pam held up her mace can. "In my defence, I had no idea this was your boyfriend, Honey Bee. I was scared."

"I understand," Kurt said. "But I'm glad Blaine arrived in time to rescue me."

Pam giggled. "You should show Kurt your Nightbird costume sometime, Honey Bee."

"Mo-om!"

Kurt's eyes sparked with interest. "A superhero costume? Remind me to introduce you to Sam. He started a superhero club at McKinley a while ago. Seems like you two will get on well."

Blaine cocked his head to the side. "The Sam that reads to the children at the home every Tuesday?"

"That's the one. I don't think he'll be able to do that the coming weeks, though."

Kurt let out a long sigh and continued. "His dad lost his job, and they lost their home, too. They're living in a motel for now. Sam's been babysitting his brother and sister after school, and working as a pizza delivery boy at night."

"That's rough."

"Yeah."

Pam felt a pang of commiseration for Sam's family. "That's horrible. And here we are with such a big empty house."

She'd kept the house after Edward moved out, but found it hard to scrounge up the rent every month. As soon as she found the time, she'd go house-hunting for something smaller, especially since Blaine would be off to college next school year.

"It's way too big," Blaine agreed. "I mean, I like the garden, but we have six bedrooms. For just two people. That's just insane."

Pam moved towards the pan with boiling water, put the pasta in and set the kitchen timer. "It's what your father wanted."

Blaine scoffed. "A house big enough for all the wives he cheated on and all the children he never wanted?"

Pam swallowed with difficulty and looked away.

She felt strong arms envelop her in a hug.

"Sorry, Mom…"

She kissed Blaine's cheek. "It was hard on you, honey bee. I get it."

"It was hard on you, too, Mom. Dad moving out, and then Dalton refusing to grant me a scholarship because Dad's rich and he's still my father, even if he doesn't pay a cent for me. And then they beat me half to death at Westerville High and _I_ was the one who got expelled."

Pam gritted her teeth thinking of Westerville High's principal. He hadn't wanted to get rid of his most promising football players, so he'd chosen to get rid of the queer kid instead. She'd wanted to rage at him for hours, but she knew it wouldn't make a difference.

"Well, this time around, you've been able to defend yourself, I can tell. Is that black eye the only injury you got?"

Blaine gaped at her. "Yes. But… How? Kurt put on concealer and everything! You shouldn't have been able to see!"

Pam quirked an eyebrow. "Blaine. I sell make-up for a living."

Blaine shared an 'Uh-oh, busted!' look with Kurt, and jumped when the kitchen timer went off.

"Well, dinner's ready," Kurt announced chipperly. "You can go sit at the table and catch up. I'll be right there."

Pam took a bottle of red wine out of the pantry and a corkscrew from the drawer and followed Blaine to the table, staring down her son until he told her what had happened. She was relieved he wasn't hurt worse, but horrified that Blaine had knocked his assailant into the hospital.

"What did you do, break his leg?"

Blaine snorted. "His head, more like. Knocked him out cold with an uppercut, and while he fell, he hit the lockers just wrong, and he bled like an ox. Never woke up, either."

Pam blanched, and hoped that the kid would regain consciousness and get better. And that his parents wouldn't make her pay the hospital costs. She really couldn't afford that. Still, wouldn't they have contacted her before now in that case?

She smiled at Blaine, determined to look at the bright side. Blaine hadn't been expelled, and he seemed to enjoy the community service he'd been sentenced to.

"So you have to volunteer at that home now for how many more hours?"

Blaine scratched his head. "I dunno… I could ask Dolores? I don't really care, though. I love going there. The kids are amazing."

"They are," Kurt chimed in, setting a steaming plate of food in front of Pam and handing one to Blaine too.

A moment later, all three of them were enjoying their pasta, and Kurt told Pam all about the children at the home, leaving her wondering how in the world she'd managed to be spooked by such a sweet boy. Camouflage. The hair and the metal and the tattoos. They had to be camouflage, just like Blaine's outfits and make-up.

Pam complimented the boys on the meal they'd made, which had Blaine grinning ear to ear. The grin only widened when she started discussing Kurt's use of herbs in the sauce, and it warmed her heart to see her son so happy. She couldn't even remember the last time he'd smiled so freely, but it had been way too long.

When they had finished eating, Blaine jumped up immediately to clear the table, and he and Kurt started doing the dishes as a matter of course, jabbering and chattering and even singing as they worked.

Pam was used to a disgruntled teenager, who lived on take-out when his mom was out working and who had to be reminded to bin his soda cans, take-out cartons and pizza boxes, so this was a welcome change.

 _Thank you, Kurt. I think we'll keep you._


	7. Chapter 7: Back to School

_**Author's Note: I know, I know… It's been ages! The fact of the matter is, though, no matter how much I like writing this story, I have no real plot for it, and it's going to be shelved after this chapter until I figure out where to take it. I know that I want Sam to end up living at Blaine's house, and I know I want to keep the tone of the story light and upbeat and fluffy. Apart from that, it's all a big blank. Suggestions are more than welcome. Please help me shape this story, so that I can bring it to a satisfying conclusion.**_

 **Chapter 7: Back to School**

When he felt his phone buzz with a text message notification, Blaine got off his motorbike and sighed.

 _Show time, I guess._

He'd arrived at school early, had parked his bike near the back entrance and had been waiting for Kurt and his girls to turn up.

 **From: Kurt**

 _We're under the bleachers._

Blaine made his way to the bleachers, his eyes darting left and right to check for jocks with a grudge, but there were none. Too early in the day, perhaps.

Kurt was leaning against a metal pole, his eyes half-mast and his lips curled into a lopsided smirk.

Blaine couldn't help grinning, and Kurt beamed back and met him half-way for a kiss.

"He's cute, Porcelain, I'll give you that," a smoky voice behind them drawled.

Blaine turned around to look at the three girls under the bleachers. One blonde and two brunettes, all sporting the same smirk he'd seen on Kurt's face just now. Had to be a Skank thing.

"Nice butt," said Brunette no. 1, peering at him from over her glasses.

The blonde gave Blaine a slow once-over and then an approving nod. "He clearly works out. Great biceps, and look at the thighs of him!"

Kurt huffed. "Stop objectifying my boyfriend."

They quirked an eyebrow at him – eerie how in tune they were – and said in unison, "No."

"You bring us a piece of man candy, we're gonna look," said Brunette no. 2.

Kurt rolled his eyes and turned to Blaine. "Okay, so… These are my girls: Lauren Zizes, Santana Lopez and Quinn Fabray. Girls, this is Blaine Anderson, my boyfriend. Look all you like, but don't touch. He's mine."

Santana snorted, and Lauren murmured something like, "Making no promises."

Blaine smiled at the girls. "Nice to meet you."

Quinn smiled back politely. "Pleased to meet you too."

Santana snorted. "No need to dust off your country club manners for us."

"At least I have manners," Quinn bit back. "And they'll help me get out of here after high school."

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, you'll go to an Ivy League school and become a big-shot lawyer and fight for women's rights in America. Tell that to someone who'll believe you. None of those snobby schools is gonna want a teen mom."

Quinn's spine stiffened. "That's behind me."

"It's all in the records. Like your Lucy Caboosey period. It's gonna come back to haunt you forever."

"Fuck you!" Quinn snarled, and she stalked off in a huff.

Kurt swore under his breath and went after her, talking to her in a low but urgent voice, and eventually bringing her back.

Lauren grinned and seemed to gear up for another attack, but Kurt stopped her. "Don't. Okay? I know you've got ammo enough to make all of us miserable, but let's face it, everyone else here at school already has it out for us, so it would be nice if we Skanks could have each other's backs. All right?"

Lauren shrugged. "Sure, ruin my fun."

Kurt smirked at her. "Oh, I'll give you plenty of fun. Blaine here knocked Karofsky into hospital, and his football buddies will no doubt try and get even with him. So girls, stick with us and show those jocks why nobody messes with us."

The three girls grinned at Kurt, their good humour restored at once.

"I can defend myself," Blaine grumbled.

Kurt rubbed his arm in comfort. "I know. But one more strike and you're out. And I want you to stay here at McKinley. So let us deal with the blockheads. They won't come anywhere near you with us around."

Blaine gave in with bad grace, and went over his schedule for the Skanks' benefit. He shared each of his classes with at least one of them, and promised to stick with them to keep safe.

He soon found out that Kurt was right. Everyone, even the jocks, gave the Skanks a wide berth.

"We can fleece them with our snark, kill them with our glares and hurt them in a million ways," Kurt explained during AP French. "We're not boxers, but Quinn and Santana and I used to be Cheerios, and you don't want to be on the receiving end of our high kicks. You really don't. And Lauren is a champion wrestler."

Blaine blinked at Kurt. "You were a what?"

"A Cheerio. That's what the cheerleaders are called here."

Blaine looked at his boyfriend, trying to picture him in tight spandex, showing off his acrobatic prowess. _Nice!_

"So why did you quit?"

Kurt shrugged. "Quinn got kicked off the squad when she got pregnant. Santana got kicked off when she got a boob job. At least, I think that was the reason. And for me, it was the community service that did me in. The Cheerios' schedule is insane. They train for hours and hours every day, even on weekends. And Coach Sylvester didn't like me skipping training on Wednesdays and Saturdays to go sing and tell stories at the home. At first, she cut me some slack, 'cause her sister lived in a home too, and 'cause she has a soft spot for me, and 'cause I always trained at home by myself those days. But then my forty hours were up, and I just kept going to the home, though I didn't have to anymore. And she told me I had to make a choice: Cheerios or volunteering. I bet she thought I'd snap out of it fast. But I'd already lost my friends Quinn and Santana on the squad, and volunteering made me happy. So I handed in my uniform and left."

Blaine pouted, sad that Kurt no longer had the uniform, because oh, the possibilities…

 _« Monsieur Hummel et compagnon, comme vous semblez avoir une opinion très forte concernant Baudelaire, vous pouvez venir ici et nous en parler ! »_ (Mr. Hummel and company, seeing as you seem to hold a strong opinion on Baudelaire, you can come here and tell us about it!)

Blaine looked up at the teacher, aghast, but Kurt wasn't intimidated in the least. He went to stand at the teacher's desk, and gave a passionate speech about Baudelaire, and about his work being censured for the themes it contained. All in French. And he ended it by reciting what he said was his favourite Baudelaire poem.

Blaine's mouth wasn't the only one hanging open when Kurt stopped talking. Even the teacher needed a minute to regroup.

" _Intéressant. Je vois que Baudelaire vous passionne. Et vous, Monsieur… ?_ » (Interesting. I can tell you're passionate about Baudelaire. What about you, Mr. …?)

"Anderson," Blaine hastened to supply. " _Comme je viens de dire à Monsieur Hummel, je préfère l'œuvre de Verlaine. J'adore sa musicalité._ » (As I just told Mr. Hummel, I prefer Verlaine's work. I love his musicality.)

Just then, the bell rang, and Blaine felt his anxiety ebb away.

The teacher smiled at him. " _Très bien. La semaine prochaine, vous pouvez nous en parler plus en détail. Cela compensera pour les devoirs que vous avez manqué les jours passés_. » (Very well. Next week, you can tell us more about it. That will make up for the homework you didn't make the previous days.)

Blaine nodded and jotted down the assignment before gathering his stuff and following Kurt out of the classroom.

"Your French is impressive," he told Kurt, who grinned and told him he looked forward to hearing Blaine's views on Verlaine.

In the cafeteria, Kurt steered Blaine towards what he said was the glee club table, and he introduced Blaine as his boyfriend, which made Blaine's stomach swoop happily and made him beam like an idiot.

The only one at the table Blaine recognized was Rachel, who greeted him and asked if he was joining glee club.

"Oh… Uhm… I…"

"Your singing voice could use some work, but it's got definite potential."

Kurt rolled his eyes at Rachel and then turned to Blaine. "So that's Rachel. You already know her from the home. Next to her is Finn, and then there's Artie, Tina, Mercedes, Puck, Mike and Sam."

"Sam's the one from the superhero club?" Blaine whispered to Kurt, and Sam perked up when he heard the club mentioned.

"Yep, that's me. Blonde Chameleon at your service! What's your super alter ego?"

Lunch hour flew by as Blaine talked superheroes with Sam, and he had to be reminded by Kurt that the bell was about to ring, and that Quinn was waiting for him to go to AP Biology.

Blaine quickly exchanged numbers with Sam and then hurried away.

That afternoon, after a history class he shared with Lauren, Blaine was accosted by Rachel, who asked if he was going to the home.

"N-no. I'm scheduled tomorrow."

"I see. Well, think about glee club, okay?"

Blaine nodded, and then his face brightened when he saw Kurt coming towards him, Sam by his side.

"Mind if Sam joins our cooking lesson today?" Kurt asked.

Blaine grinned and shook his head. "Awesome. Are your brother and sister coming too?"

Sam grinned back. "Yep. We were just about to go and pick them up from school."

"Come to my place," Blaine said. "So you can borrow that comic book I was talking about at lunch. And there's a big garden to play in, and spare bedrooms for when your brother and sister get tired. Mom won't mind a bit, I promise."

Kurt frowned. "Dad won't like that. He had to make his own dinner yesterday, and grumbled about it."

"Well, today at yours and tomorrow at my place, then, maybe?" Blaine asked.

Kurt bit his lip. "Friday Night Dinner is sacred for Dad. Can't skip it. But you and Sam can cook by yourselves. I'm thinking vegetable wok. I'll write down the recipe for you."

Blaine looked at Sam. "What do you say? Can we do this? Stevie and Stacie can help, too."

"We can do this! I do have a shift delivering pizzas starting at eight p.m., though, so we'll have to make it an early dinner. Today too."

"No problem," Kurt promised.

Stevie and Stacie proved to be just as outgoing and friendly as their older brother, and instantly enamoured with Blaine when he told them the story of Jack and the Beanstalk while they were cooking.

When Burt got home, he grumbled a bit about Kurt always bringing more people home, but soon enough, he was talking cars with Stevie and football with Sam and Blaine, with a wide smile. And when Stacie fell asleep on the sofa soon after dinner, Burt was the one to suggest Sam's siblings could stay over and sleep in the spare bedroom.

"And you can kip on the sofa," Burt said to Sam, "after your shift. Kurt will give you the spare key."

Sam looked at his sleeping sister, bit his lip and nodded, walking out of the living room. "I need to call my mom."

He came back a few minutes later and said it was okay. "I asked for tomorrow, too, Blaine, if you were serious about us staying over?"

Blaine beamed at Sam. "Totally! It's going to be amazing!"

Sam carefully woke Stacie so she could get ready for bed, and Kurt and Blaine went to the attic to find her and Stevie some pajamas from when Kurt was little, sharing some sweet kisses while they were alone together.

As soon as the children were tucked in, Sam and Blaine left, and Blaine dropped Sam off at the pizza place. "See you tomorrow! Can you find someone to bring you back to Kurt's?"

"Yep, no problem, Puck will come and pick me up. Thanks, man!"

K&B

On Friday morning, Blaine had his first altercation with a jock since he'd come back. He was securing his motorbike when something hit the back of his head. Hard.

A voice hissed, "You think you can put my best friend in hospital and then come back here and parade your nancy boy around school?"

Blaine turned around slowly, and saw a tall black teen glaring at him.

"Adams! No fighting or you're off the team!"

The jock turned towards his coach and opened his mouth to retaliate, but she stopped him. "No, I don't need to hear it. I know what happened to Karofsky, but I also know it was provoked. I know that under Coach Tenaka, you could do as you pleased, but I'm telling you now that I don't condone fighting. Nor bullying. I don't care how well you play. I WILL throw you off the team if you so much as touch this boy again. Leave him alone."

The jock glared at her. "And let him get away with almost killing Dave?"

The coach sighed. "Don't exaggerate. Karofsky was never in any danger of dying. And it was five against one, hardly a fair fight. Can't fault the boy for wanting to knock you guys out as fast as he could. I would have done the same. Why were you picking on him anyway?"

That seemed to take the wind out of the jock's sails, who shrunk and shrugged.

"Just for the fun of it, huh? Well, that stops now. I'm going to work you guys so hard that you won't have any time or energy for shenanigans."

The jock grumbled under his breath.

"How many games have you won so far, Adams?"

More grumbling.

"My goal is to make you winners. So you had better apply yourself, or I'll find a replacement for you. Is that clear?"

The jock nodded.

"Now clear out and leave this boy alone."

The coach stared the jock down until he turned and left, and then turned to Blaine. "I know the fight wasn't your idea. And I promise I'll keep an eye out for you, pumpkin."

"Thank you, Coach."

She smiled at Blaine. "Feel free to join our power training on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Sometimes we do some boxing, and I think my boys can learn a thing or two from you."

Blaine grimaced. "I'm not sure I want them to learn how to beat me up."

"Adams and Karofsky tend to skip power training, pumpkin. They're lazy. As soon as I find decent replacements for them, they'll be out in a heartbeat."

Blaine stared at her. "Won't their parents make a fuss?"

"More likely they'll be mad at their son. I've won the championship with every team I've ever coached. So if their child doesn't make the team, they'll blame him, not me."

She winked at Blaine and walked off.

K&B

That afternoon, Sam and his siblings came to the home with Blaine, and together, they told the story of the Four Clever Brothers, who saved a princess from a dragon.

Like Dolores had said, Sam was great at doing voices, and the children listened as if spellbound, and cheered when after the story, Blaine announced they still had time for a few songs.

Sam played the guitar this time, and they all sang together until the hour was up.

At Blaine's house, they did their homework before starting on dinner, Blaine pairing up with Stacie and Sam with Stevie to help them where needed.

When Pam came home, Blaine and Sam were wearing Star Wars costumes from Blaine's chest of Halloween apparel, re-enacting a fight scene to the loud encouragement of Stevie and Stacie.

Pam quirked an eyebrow at Blaine and inquired, "New boyfriend already?"

"Mom!"

She smirked when Blaine hotly denied having swapped boyfriends, but her eyes softened when he introduced his new friends. Clearly, she remembered what Kurt had told them about Sam's family, which was probably why she didn't say a word when Blaine mentioned all the Evans children were staying over.

The next morning, when Sam's parents came to pick up their children and thanked Pam for her hospitality, she reiterated what she'd told Kurt. "You know, this house is WAY too big for just the two of us, and I'm having a hard time covering the rent on my own. So if you like, you and your family could move in here temporarily, until you get back on your feet. You could have the second and third floor, and share the kitchen and the living room with us."

The Evanses looked taken aback, and Pam waved a dismissive hand. "Yes, this is sudden, and we don't know each other yet, and I'm probably weird for mentioning this straight off the bat. I know, I know. I don't expect you to decide right away, of course, but think about it? Our children get along well, and it would help out both our families."

Mrs Evans nodded and thanked Pam again, with a smile that was a bit brittle around the edges, but genuine nonetheless.

Her sad eyes haunted Blaine the whole weekend.


End file.
